Fate
by mush.loverx
Summary: Two worlds will collide. And it will be when they least expect it. Can they both resist the urge to fall in love? Or will they both give in to their needs? No Slash.
1. First Impressions

Rated T for mild language. R&R. =)

"We create our fate every day we live."

Fate.

* * *

Sixteen-year-old Kylene Elisabeth Pulitzer was envied by every girl in Manhattan, New York. Every person that ever saw her liked her instantly. Little did they know that she was fighting a silent battle for 10 years. She was infuriated with herself and her life, knowing that everything could be better. Without a mother to love her, or a father to care, she was missing the one thing that can change her life for the best. One thing that can make any person in the whole world feel delight. Just one word. Love.

Kylene woke up with a start; having the same dream she had last night, and the night before. It was always the same dream, always starting from the beginning and ending where it hurt Kylene the most.

"_Mommy, I love you." _

"_I love you too, baby. But be strong, for both of us. Your daddy will take care of you. I can always know that your daddy will be there for you."_

"_Mommy, don't leave. I love you." _

"_I'm sorry, honey. I can't be here anymore. But tell you what, just between the two of us, I'll make a promise that I will always keep. Do you want to know what that promise is?" _

"_What is it?"_

"_Kylene Elisabeth, I promise you that whatever happens, I will always be with you, no matter the situation. If you're losing hope, think of me. Mommy's watching you from a better place. Never forget that you and daddy mean the world to me." _

"_Mommy, do you swear to keep that promise?"_

"_I swear." _

Kylene wiped away the tears. So much has changed. Her mother died and she thought that the world was going to end. Her father didn't help her at all, like how she thought he would. Her father would always scold her if he found her crying and by the age of nine, Kylene and her father were miles apart, emotionally. Kylene was missing the biggest thing in her life, and that was love. No mother to love her, not even a father to take care of her, Kylene was alone.

_Knock. Knock._

Kylene straightened herself and fixed her night gown. "Come in." She said, voice clear as a whistle.

"Excuse me Miss Pulitzer, but you're father wishes to have a word with you immediately." Lettie, the head maid of the staff, said.

Kylene nodded. "Thank you, Lettie. Will there be anything else?"

The aged woman shook her head. "That will be all, Miss." And with that, Kylene left her room, letting the maid do her job.

As Lettie closed Kylene's door shut, Kylene headed up the grand staircase leading to her father's study. Along the way she passed a few servants, who all greeted her kindly. Kylene may be the most powerful man in New York's daughter, but she was a favorite among many people, servants alike. She finally reached her father's study, knocking on the door to announce her presence.

"Come in." A gruff voice said from behind the doorway. Kylene sighed and went in.

"Shut the door." Her father said, holding a cigar and gesturing to the door. Kylene did as she was told to do. "Now, you may wonder why I brought you here so early in the morning." He said, sitting down behind his desk.

"Aren't you going to the office, father?" She had stopped calling her father, daddy, by the age of 7, knowing it was completely useless to use such a term with a man who didn't act like so, nonetheless.

"No, not today." He stated, standing up and looking out the window.

Kylene looked at her father and was near tears. Joseph Pulitzer used to be a loving and caring father before his wife died. He was a family man, whose eyes twinkled with laughter and who was always telling jokes about how stuffy the men who worked near his office were. He changed when her mother died. He no longer left work early, he always stayed extra late at his office, leaving only when necessary. He discovered that money is what his great love was, having no wife to share it with, and not even caring about the daughter he had. His eyes never twinkled with laughter, but greed and hate. This man was not her father, and she could do nothing to change it.

_Mom, if you're watching over me right now, please make daddy himself again._ Kylene thought, looking up at the ceiling.

"I'm having guests over." He uttered, turning around to face the daughter that wanted him to love her.

* * *

Kylene nodded. "I will go get ready and change then." She said, gesturing to her attire.

"Good, good." Her father said, not paying attention. Something was on his mind, and Kylene wanted to know what that was.

"How about this dress, Miss?" Lettie said, gesturing to a black and blue dress that was occupying Kylene's bed.

"No, Lettie." Kylene smiled, eyes twinkling. She had no idea who this guest was. It all depended on who he was. Whether it was one of her father's friends or another person from town, she had to pick the proper outfit to wear.

"Should I wear this one, just in case it is one of father's friends?" She said, gesturing to a white summer dress.

Lettie nodded. "Everything will look beautiful on you. I agree, that one. Just to be safe."

Kylene sighed. This conversation was going nowhere. Lettie always said the same exact things on the ten other dresses Kylene tried on. "Okay, I'll wear this one."

Lettie smiled and left the room to leave Kylene to change. She knew exactly who was going to visit, having heard from the kitchen maids, but she dared not say anything. Miss Pulitzer will know in good time.

* * *

At the same exact time, Jack Kelly was putting on his best suit - A pair of brown slacks, fresh from last Monday, a white shirt, and one of Denton's coats. He decided not to wear his hat, but tied the usual red bandana around his throat. He couldn't believe the mess he had got into, and he was dragging some of his best friends with him.

"We look like scabs." Complained Racetrack, an Italian newsie who loved to bet and was seen on the tracks every day.

"Yeah, but at least ya don't have to wear this." Mush, a curly haired newsie who had a contagious smile, stated, gesturing to a bowler hat that one of the newsies let him borrow. "Hey Jack, next time ya have a stupid idea, never drag me into it alright?"

Racetrack nodded. "Yeah Jack, Meyers is right. I mean, I'd nevah thought I'd evah be going to Pulitzer's house, but thanks to ya, we are. Just because of one stupid prank. Ya bonehead." He said, thumping Jack on the head.

"Ey, cut it off will ya? It's too early in dah mornin' to fight, so knock it off. C'mon it won't be that bad, maybe Pulitzer will go easy on us? I mean, what's dah worse we can get? Five months in dah refuge? S'not so bad." Jack said, fixing his bandana.

"Yeah, or maybe a couple of bucks he's gonna fine us if we get on his nerves. I mean, yeah. That's not really that bad." Mush said sarcastically. "What's losing a few bucks? Oh yeah, maybe it's because we don't have _any _to spend in the first place? You really screwed us up, Cowboy." He then looked at himself in the tiny mirror. "Forget this hat, it's just too fancy. I'll just wear my regular one." He put the bowler hat on a nearby table and grabbed his hat that was hanging off a hook on the wall.

Racetrack nodded. "I agree wid Meyers. Nevah again, ya hear?"

Jack sighed. "You went along with it, so I'd shut it if I were ya."

"Yeah, but you're not, last time we checked." Racetrack said. "It's 7:00 in dah mornin' and we're going to miss out on dah papes again, so thank yah Cowboy, not only are we going to be going to Pulitzer's house, but we're gunna have nuthin to eat fer breakfast, lunch, and dinnah because of that stupid prank."

Mush nodded. "Last time I'll ever listen to ya." He said, putting on his suspenders. "And why the heck do we have to dress nice? Just cause it's Pulitzer? We look like we're tryin to hard."

Jack rolled his eyes. "Ain't that bad, maybe he'll give us a warning, like last time. When exactly will his carriage be pickin us up?"

Race shrugged. "Around 8? I dunno."

Jack sighed at the lack of enthusiasm his friends were giving him. "Hey, don't Pulitzer have a daughter?" He asked, slyly looking at Mush, who was a ladies man no matter who the girl was, despite it being the daughter of the man who was going to murder the three of them soon enough.

Mush smiled. "Naw, don't think I wanna date no more, after bein with Rose."

"Was that her name? I thought it was Claudia?" Racetrack asked, tying his boots.

"Nah, it was Melony." Jack put in, washing his hands.

"IT WAS ROSE." Mush said, loud enough to wake up some nearby newsies.

Jack snickered. "Whad about Rose, then?"

"Well, she was different, y'know? I definitely was really sad when she called it off." Mush sighed, looking at the floor.

Racetrack laughed out loud. "No ya weren't. Ya were happy she called it off. Oh and why did she call it off Mush? Maybe she saw ya at dah park smackin on some oddah goil?"

Mush turned red. "No, that wasn't it."

Jack rolled his eyes and said nothing. Mush was a womanizer, but not those bad boy types. He was kind and polite, things that would make any girl fall for him, but he had real trouble staying with just one girl for too long. This was how it always was. He'd find a girl, fall too hard, find another girl, break up with the previous one, and feel bad about it. Typical Mush.

The boys were quiet, finishing up their daily rituals. They suddenly heard a ring downstairs.

"Well, dat's our cue." Racetrack said, putting on his hat.

Jack sighed, while Mush didn't say anything. They all knew that they were gonna die after the prank they pulled the day before yesterday.

* * *

**The Day Before Yesterday**

"_Jack don't do it!" Mush said, looking around for any bulls. "Dah bulls will see!" _

"_No dey won't Mushy." Jack said, getting the bucket ready. "Just wait fer Pulitzer to come, then we'll be off." _

"_JACKY BOY E'S COMIN!" Racetrack screamed, loud enough for any passerby to hear. _

"_Shut up, Race!" Jack said, if he didn't say anything, Racetrack would've blown their cover._

"_HE'S COMIN! JACKY BOY! AROUND DAH CORNER! GED READY!" Racetrack yelled, apparently not paying attention enough to actually see that Jack was right in front of him. _

"_SHUDDUP!" Jack said, grabbing the bucket filled with last night's meal, some dog waste, and garbage they found on the streets. _

_Racetrack was bouncing with joy. "He's gonna do it! Mush!" _

_Mush thumped Racetrack on the back of his head. "Why does he always gotta be loud when he's suppose to shut up?"_

_Jack shrugged, going to his position, the way they planned. "I donno Meyers, but maybe ya oughta do dah same thing? Fer 5 minutes, alright?" _

_And with those words, he went to hide up the nearest fire escape, waiting for Pulitzer to enter his carriage. Any minute now. One. Two. _

_SPLAT. _

_Jack let go of the bucket's remainings, and ran as fast as his feet could take him. All he heard was Pulitzer cursing as loud as he can, and chasing after Jack. _

_Jack found Racetrack and Mush and they all ran away from the bulls. Apparently not fast enough. _

"_Not. So. Fast." A nearby bull said, dismounting off his horse. _

"_Crap, Jacky boy." Racetrack said, looking at Jack. "We shouldn't have done it. I tell ya, we shouldn't have done it." _

_Jack rolled his eyes. Last time he recalled Race was the one who came up with this brilliant idea. _

_Pulitzer found them. He smelled really bad, and the boys and the bull all covered their noses. _

"_Jack Kelly is it?" Pulitzer said, looking at Jack. _

_Jack said nothing. He knew enough not to mess with Pulitzer. _

_Pulitzer was furious. "You, you, and you. To my house on Saturday morning. Eight o'clock, sharp. I expect you all to show, and if you don't I'd personally see to it that you do. Now get going. The next couple of days, think about what you're obituaries will be like, because you'll need it." _

_And with those words, he left, murmuring curses and trudging along to his carriage. Leaving the three boys wondering what obituary meant._

* * *

Kylene fumbled with her dress as she sat down on a chair in the main hall. Her father had a rule that whenever he had guests coming, she would be there to greet them. As if to soften them up and make them like her father more. She sighed, getting up and walking around. She stopped by a shelf near the kitchen entrance. This was her favorite place. There was a picture of her mother and father. Just the two of them, smiling up at the camera. There were also photographs of Kylene with her mother, and then with her father. Kylene laughed, remembering the memories that went beyond the still image.

She heard footsteps descending the stairs. It was her father, and she knew that he hated seeing her around that particular shelf. She quickly walked back to her chair, fixing her hair and dress as she sat down.

"Ah, you made yourself presentable." He stated, walking to the mirror.

"Yes, father." Kylene said, rolling her eyes. If she didn't look presentable, her father would make her go back upstairs and make her change. He wanted to make sure that everything he owned was better than all the rest in New York. Even his own daughter.

"Good, good." He said. "I have company coming in three minutes."

Kylene nodded. Three minutes was really long if you're alone with a man who failed to understand how to make small talk, especially if you've known him for sixteen years.


	2. Stubborn

Thank your for the 3 people that R&R'd on the first chapter. I have fixed the chapter and hope it satisfies. :) R&R

I do not own Newsies. :(

"Accept the things to which fate binds you, and love the people with whom fate brings you together, but do so with all your heart."

* * *

The carriage ride was particularly bumpy. The boys have never been in a carriage before and they were quite fascinated, despite the things that were going to happen. They were in the carriage with two other bulls so they didn't talk at all.

Jack was nervous. He had never seen Pulitzer's house before. He was thinking that he'd rather face two months in the refuge then go to Pulitzer's house.

Mush looked out the window. Despite the consequences, all he could think about was whether they were all going to live to see noon today. That, and thinking about apologizing to Rose.

Racetrack was the calmest one out of the three of them. He was rather having fun with himself, playing with the nearby bull's coat, which had strings attached to it.

"Stop it." The bull said, looking at Racetrack and breaking the silence.

Racetrack shrugged. "Just wanted to have fun before I die is all."

And with those words, the carriage stopped. The boys all got out of the car, and there to meet them was a huge mansion.

Pulitzer's house was a mansion, but as tall as a castle. There were grand steps leading to the door. In the middle was a fountain with benches surrounding it. If you looked beyond the house, you could see fields and fields of well kept gardens and courtyards, with miniature mazes.

Racetrack whistled. "He spoils imslef, - Pulitzer."

Jack nodded. "Welcome to hell, boys."

* * *

Kylene was busy playing with her hands when she heard the door open. She looked at her father and he had a scowl on his face as he made his way to the door. She then looked at the direction of the door and saw three boys who were all dressed in fancy attire, but they were clearly not comfortable in it. The one on the right had the buttons on his vest all wrong. Kylene looked at his face and wondered if he was Italian. He definitely looked that way. He had a small face, curly hair, and he was pretty short. The one in the middle had a red bandana around his neck, which Kylene didn't think went well with the suit that was too short for him, but who was she to judge? He held himself up in a way that made you think he wanted you to feel intimidated. The one on the left definitely interested Kylene more than the other two. She knew this one didn't try to hard to please her father. He was wearing a simple outfit. Cut-offs, a white t-shirt, and a hat. He looked like he had a nice personality, and he made her want to go up to him and introduce herself. He had such a nice face, it was clear that he took some stuff seriously, not like the other two. She guessed they were all newsboys. From the looks of it, they were newsboys that her father wanted to get rid of.

"Ahh, boys you made it." Her father said, breaking the silence.

"Well, we were supposed to, weren't we? Ya threatened us." Said the one with the red bandana.

Kylene sighed. She knew that her father would get mad just at the thought of being questioned by his actions. This bandana boy really needed to be quiet, unless he _wanted_ to owe her father more than he bargained for.

"Now you listen to me, Kelly!" Explained Pulitzer, drawing attention from the nearby servants as well. Pulitzer realized that other people were listening in and he decided to take this matter upstairs. He had a good speech planned just for the boys, and he didn't want it to be heard by some servants. "Let's take this upstairs shall we?" He asked, in a seething tone. "Kylene, tell the servants not to come up by my study for a few hours. They are to remain on the first floor." He said, turning to Kylene, who was awestruck at the way the boy in the bandana made her father yell, and he wasn't even in the house for a minute.

Kylene nodded, looking at the three newsboys before she left. The Italian looking one looked bored. She met his eyes and they both looked down. She suddenly felt embarrassed at her father. They both knew that they, the newsboys, were going to get a mouthful. She then looked at the one in the bandana. He looked like he wanted to have a go with Pulitzer, no matter the cost. She suddenly felt great respect for him. He looked proud and smug. She never had the guts to talk back to her father and this boy had. And as far as she knew, he only knew her father for a short while. She then let her eyes linger on the last boy, the one with the nice face. He wasn't looking at Pulitzer, or his fellow newsboys, but at her. He smiled at her. Suddenly, her stomach began to have butterflies. She didn't even know this boy and he had already made her feel dizzy. Not wanting to draw attention to herself, she merely nodded at him.

"Are you waiting for an invitation to leave the room, Kylene?" Her father asked, looking at her with an angry expression.

"No, father." She answered, turning around and not daring to look back at the three newsboys who she knew would interest her.

* * *

The boys were led up to a room in which Pulitzer called his "study". The room had a huge desk in the center, much like his desk in his office back in Manhattan. There were also many shelves filled with books. Despite the size of the room, it was relatively boring, with only one chair in the middle, not counting the one Pulitzer usually sat in. The boys noticed that there was a photograph on a nearby shelf, the only pleasant thing to look at in the entire room. The photograph consisted of a younger Pulitzer, a five-year-old Kylene, and a woman the boys had never seen before.

"Whad's dat, Joe?" Jack asked, pointing to the picture.

"Never mind that, now I just wanted to ask you boys what you feel is the _right_ punishment for your actions."

"Say, is dat ya? Ya look mighty young; ya didn't have a beard then." Jack said, clearly trying to distract Pulitzer.

"I SAID NEVER MIND THAT!" Pulitzer yelled, causing all the boys to jump.

Racetrack looked at Jack and they suddenly had a plan. "So Joe, is dat yer daughter, she looks like an angel." He said, taking the picture in his hands and examining it.

"PUT THAT BACK, NOW!" Pulitzer seethed. They all looked at the picture, not daring to look at Pulitzer, who was all red with anger.

Jack ignored Pulitzer's warning. "Hey Race, lemme see dat!" Jack said, taking the picture from Racetrack, who held on to it as tight as he can. "JACKY BOY I'm lookin' at it!" He answered, not giving Jack the picture. "Race, let go!" Jack said, pulling with all the force he could muster. He didn't expect Racetrack to let go, but he did, leaving the picture to smash into the wall.

Jack cursed as he saw that the picture frame, which was made of glass, broke, and the picture itself was ruined, being torn from the impact. Mush, who was standing silently during the whole tussle, suddenly looked at the ground, afraid of what Pulitzer was going to do to them.

"GET THE HELL OUT OF MY HOUSE, NOW!!" Yelled Pulitzer, who was about to strangle all three of the boys, but they were too quick for him. They left the room and ran as fast as their legs could take them.

Pulitzer looked at the photograph and picked it up off the floor, careful not to damage it any further. He looked at the doorway and suddenly remembered what led him to that damaged photo. He then crumpled the photograph and threw it in the wastebasket. He needn't need it any more. Pulitzer let his anger subside, but before he left his study, he grabbed a piece of paper and a pen and wrote:

To be punished: Jack Kelly, Mush Meyers, and Racetrack Higgins.

* * *

Kylene was busy helping a kitchen maid with baking when she heard footsteps running down the grand staircase. She quickly washed her hands and made her way to the main hall.

"Ya shouldn't have done it, Jacky-boy!" Screamed the Italian newsboy as they ran to the door.

"Nah, he deserved it." Said the bandana wearing newsboy, who Kylene figured to be Jack.

"Ya really screwed up, Cowboy." Cried the newsboy Kylene favored.

They apparently did not see her as they ran out of the house and into the nearest carriage. Kylene wondered what these three newsboys did to her father and she suddenly made up her mind that she would find out.

* * *

"At least we're off dah hook, fellas." Jack said, breaking the awkward silence between the boys.

"It's your fault that we're walkin' home, Cowboy." Racetrack said, glum after the encounter with the carriage driver.

"Yeah, Kelly. If ya didn't get Pulitzer all riled up, then we wouldn't be in this mess. And we'd have a carriage to ride in, instead of walkin' home."

Jack sighed. Arguing with his two companions was pointless. All they ever did was blame him. He thought about a different approach that would sure make them start talking again.

"So. Whad ya think of Pulitzer's daughter?" He asked, casually. Racetrack kicked a nearby rock. "Well, she ain't look a thing like her father I can tell ya that."

Mush nodded, lips shut. He didn't want to tell the others about what he thought; he knew what they would say. It was always the same thing.

Jack took off his coat and wiped the sweat off his forehead. "So, whad ya think, Mush?"

Mush looked at Jack. "About what?" He asked, completely oblivious.

Racetrack chuckled. "Yeah right, act like ya don't know, bonehead. We saw dah way ya looked at her. Just answer dah question and get on wid it."

"Get on wid what?" Mush asked, stepping on a dry leaf. "Why dah heck are we talkin' about Pulitzer's daughter?"

"Stop changin' dah subject, Mush. It's hot, we're bored, and there's nothin' to talk about. Just bring some goils in dah subject; we'll be talkin' for hours."

Mush sighed, giving up. "Ya, she's not bad, eh?"

Jack scoffed. "You're hopeless. We all know dat ya got your eyes on her, but it ain't nuthin, ya hear? All dah relationships ya have been in end in disastah. There is not one relationship where ya have stayed wid dah goil without ya ending it. I mean c'mon Mush, ya know its just anotha fling. Yar betta off not talkin' about her, anyway."

Racetrack laughed. "Jack, ya really don't know when to shut dah hell up, do ya? Yar gunna get new shinah, soon enough." Racetrack thumped Jack on the head, referring to the fact that Mush was red with anger.

Jack shrugged. "No one told me ta lie, now did dey? It's dah truth."

* * *

"Lettie, just going to the market in Manhattan. I'll be back around three. If my father asks, just tell him. I'll be back." Kylene doubted that her father would even ask, but it didn't matter, she was hoping he wouldn't, he didn't care. She just hoped that she could catch a glimpse of the elusive newsboys she saw the other day.

Kylene went into a carriage and fixed her hair. "Manhattan, by the market." She said, looking at the carriage driver. The _clop clop clop_ of the horses hooves led the carriage out of the drive way. Kylene laughed. "So, John, what's got your underwear in a twist?" The relationship between the young lady and the old carriage driver always interested Kylene. She had known the carriage driver since she was a baby, but her father never approved of her talking to servants or "low class people" as he would put it, but Kylene didn't care. John was like a father she wished she had, she remembered thinking about putting her father in the same room as John, in hope that they could talk and her father would start acting like John, but it never happened.

John clicked his tongue. "It's nothing, Miss Pulitzer."

"Miss Pulitzer? John, what's the matter?" Kylene asked, curious.

"Nothing, Miss Pulitzer, I always feel tired these days. Why are you heading to Manhattan?"

Kylene sighed. "Please do not call me Miss Pulitzer, John. Please, it's redundant to hear that all the time. I'm sorry."

John laughed, in a tired voice, he said, "Sorry Kylene, things aren't looking up for the family right now."

Kylene nodded, not wanting to go in the subject of his family. They hit a bump and the entire carriage went up. Kylene chuckled.

"So why're we going to the market?" John asked, bemused as Kylene blushed.

Kylene smiled. "Just going to see some stuff. I'll be back around three. Are you picking me up? Or is Jake?" She added with disgust, talking about her least favorite driver.

John laughed. "Don't I always? See ya later, kid." He said, tipping his hat as Kylene left the carriage.


	3. Meeting You

**R&R **=)

* * *

"WAKE UP, CARRYIN' DAH BANNER! SELL SOME PAPES!"

The boys groaned as Kloppman went from bunk to bunk to wake them up.

"Cowboy, wake up!" Kloppman shouted, nudging Jack.

"Kloppmangoaway." He mumbled, turning to the other side.

Kloppman shook Jack and chuckled as Jack finally woke up. "Go get 'em Cowboy. Headline s'not good, do what ya gotta do." He said, and left the bunk room.

"Jack. I. Hate. You." Racetrack stated, yawning as he pulled on his shirt.

Jack rolled his eyes. "We sellin' today, Race?" Racetrack shrugged, looking for his socks.

"Eya, Cowboy, didja ask Mush? Weren't ya supposed to sell wid him on Sundays?" Racetrack asked, going on the floor and crawling under his bed to look for his socks.

"Nah, he's in a bad mood. Probably whad I said yesterday." Jack looked at Mush's bunk, where he was sharing with Blink. Mush was already ready, grabbing his hat and giving Jack a dirty look.

"Y'know, I swear, he's like a goil, dah way he's been acting. I didn't say nuttin' mean, just thought I'd tell dah truth fer once." Jack stated, wiping his hands on a nearby curtain. "Dat's a rare occasion - not lyin."

Racetrack chuckled. "Ya Cowboy, but ya picked dah wrong subject ta be dah good - uh - somoraton?"

Cowboy looked at Racetrack. "Somoraton? Whadda hell?"

"Itsa story in dah bible. Ya know. Good Somoraton." Racetrack replied, tying his boots. "By dah way, have ya seen my socks?"

Jack shook his head. "Ya usin' Snipeshooter's socks then?" He asked, pointing to Racetrack's boots. "And since when did ya read dah bible? Ya barely can read anything."

Racetrack nodded. "Yah, dey Snipes. And Kloppman told me."

"It's SAMARITAN, dumbass." Skittery interjected, having listening to their conversation. "And whadya tell Mush yesterday anyway, Cowboy? He's in a bad mood, nearly knocked poor Kloppman outta dah way after he done dressing."

Jack thumped Skittery's head. "Nun that you'd needa know. Just some stuff is all."

Racetrack grabbed his hat. "Nah, Skitt, don't listen to him. Ya wanna know whad this smart ass did? He told Mush to lay off dah goils, basically." Racetrack then ran out of the room, avoiding Jack's gaze.

"Eh, Cowboy. Wrong decision, ya know dah way Mush gets wid his goils. But don't worry about it, he'll get over it. Mush can't stay mad fer long." Skittery stated, patting Jack's back. "Time to sell, then. Meet ya at Tibby's."

* * *

"PULITZER'S DEMANDS GO STRAIGHT TO ROOSEVELT!"

Kylene's ears perked up. She looked for the direction of the voice and was soon face to face with a dirty newsboy. "Want a pape, miss?" He was around her age, tall, sandy hair, and an eyepatch covering his left eye. He had a pleading face. Kylene felt sorry for the newsboy and took out a dime she had in her purse.

"Sure. Uh, can you tell me where to find that particular headline you were just talking about?" Kylene was never interested in what her father does around the town, all his actions were selfish. Being in town and no where to start her search for the newsboy, she might as well catch up with what her father was doing.

"Page 12, miss." The newsboy cried, eagerly taking the dime and running away.

Kylene felt good to give her dime away. She chuckled and opened up the paper to page 12. Skimming the pages, and the first page, and reading page 12 multiple of times, she figured that the newsboy might have mistaken the page. 15 minutes later, after reading the whole newspaper, she was completely stumped. She figured that newsboys would do almost anything to catch a quick penny. For some strange reason, she didn't care. She felt good, and that was all that mattered.

"Oops, sorry miss." Another newsboy said, bumping into Kylene. Kylene's eyes lightened. She found herself face to face with the Italian newsboy. He, on the other hand, recognized Kylene from yesterday. "Miss Pulitzer." He said, tipping his hat.

Kylene nodded. "How do you do, uhm."

"Racetrack Higgins, but you could call me Race, miss." He said, smiling.

Kylene couldn't help but smile back. He had a cute smile with really deep dimples. "Call me Kylene." She said, extending her hand.

"No, miss, as much as I wanna, but you see, my hands are dirty, don't wanna get your gloves all messed up, y'know?" He had a sad look on his face, he really did mean it. Kylene smiled, in spite of herself. "Ya want a pape, miss? Headline's not good, let me tell ya. But we newsboys need to get around for a living, y'know?" He said, gesturing to the newspapers he was holding.

"No, thank you. But I appreciate your honesty, Race. I was just wondering if you know anything about my father's demands with Teddy Roosevelt?"

Racetrack gave her a confused look. "Uhm, no offense miss, but I really don't pay attention to all that high and mighty stuff with your pa."

Kylene laughed. The newsboy with the eyepatch did trick her. "Me neither, Race. Just that, this newsboy with an eyepatch told me that there was something in the paper about that specific idea. But thank you anyway."

Racetrack chuckled. "That be Kid Blink. He didn't know ya were Pulitzer's. Here, ya wanna meet dah rest of dem? Ya don't happen to have dah time do you?"

"Yes, as a matter of fact, I do." She smiled, opening her purse and looking at her pocket watch that John gave her for her 15th birthday. "It's a quarter till noon."

Racetrack smiled. "Time to head to Tibby's. Wanna come? Tibby's is dah restaurant where we newsies such as myself go and take a breather. Ya know, eat lunch and stuff. If ya go, you could meet dah others. I promise we won't bore ya. Trust me."

Kylene laughed. "Lead the way." She was amazed at how lucky she had been. This Racetrack can lead her to the newsboy she longed to see. It was such a strange coincidence that they both ran into each other. Almost like fate.

* * *

Tibby's was crowded. As it always is at noon everyday. Every Manhattan newsie were either discussing their ways of getting more money, talking, or quietly eating their lunch before the hour is up. On this very day, however, every newsboy was listening to Kid Blink talk about his day.

"Ya, and then this goil gave me a dime. How stupid. Haha, she fell for dah whole Pulitzer demand trick. First timer, let me tell yah. I'm banned from every corner of dah city. She ain't bad looking, brown hair, gorgeous eyes. Just a little thick headed. Ya know how I like my ladies smart. Don't care how dey look." Kid Blink grabbed a bite out of the hotdog. "Okay, well a little bit on how dey look. But if it wasn't fer her, I woulda nevah had this hotdog, here."

Everybody was busy praising Kid Blink. It was so loud in the diner that nobody had heard the door open.

"So, didya ged her name, Kid?" Jack asked, finishing his soda.

"Nah, she was right attractive, though." Blink stated, wiping his mouth on his sleeve. "Wanna see her again."

"Well she's right here." Racetrack said, gesturing toward Kylene.

All heads turned toward the direction of the door. All faces soon lit up with a smile at the sight of Kylene. "Hey Cowboy, remember her?" Racetrack asked, looking at Jack.

Jack ran over to them and took off his hat. "Jack Kelly, pleased to meet ya." He said, kissing her hand. Kylene blushed, looking down. She didn't dare attract more attention to herself by looking for her desired newsie. She decided to do it discreetly, after they had all stopped staring at her.

"Fellas, want ya all to meet Miss Kylene Pulitzer." Racetrack said, throwing the leftover papers in the trash.

"_CRAP." _ Kid Blink exclaimed, running toward the door. His escape would have succeeded if it weren't for Les, who tripped him on his way there. "Ya ass, is _she_ dah goil who ya were bragging about?" Les asked, looking at Blink.

Kylene was shocked that the cute little boy with brown hair could curse so easily. Apparently she wasn't the only one. "Hey, Les, watch your language." Another newsboy said. Kylene soon saw a boy with curly hair and bright blue eyes helping Kid Blink up. She figured that his brother was Les, considering the striking resemblance between the two of them. "Blink, you really are stupid." He said, hitting the already shocked Blink. He then turned towards Kylene. "Sorry, you have to be a little crazy to be with him."

Kylene blushed as he talked to her. He was cute. She noticed that he didn't have an accent, like the rest of them. "It's okay." She said, talking for the first time after being in Tibby's.

"I'm David. David Jacobs." He said, smiling at her. "Sorry. First impressions are important. We might have given you the wrong one. But you have to be crazy to even like being in the same room as all of us."

"Call me crazy." She said, making all the boys laugh. Soon the noise began again. Kylene found herself sitting at a table with many newsboys surrounding her. Every minute she spent with them, her confidence level began to rise.

"I'm Skittery." A newsboy said, smiling at Kylene. He had bright brown eyes and messy brown hair. "Sorry about earlier, Blink can get pretty into selling his papes. We do it fer a living." Kylene nodded, taking a sip of her water.

"Hello, I'm Crutchy." A boy with curly hair said, holding a crutch and smiling at her. Kylene wondered if it was to get charity, like Kid Blink. Crutchy read her mind. "Nah, don't think like that, this crutch is real. Hurt it a while back. But real useful when selling papes." Kylene smiled. She really liked all the newsboys. For a second, she forgot about why she came in town in the first place. The next boy to introduce himself, however, jogged her memory.

"I'm Mush. Mush Meyers." He said. Kylene was silent. Up close, Mush was incredibly handsome. He had dark curls, and chocolate eyes. His skin was an oatmeal complexion and when he talked, dimples would appear on his face. He had freckles scattered here and there. He looked well built. Kylene wondered how he got his name. All the newsboys' names were obviously nicknames, but Mush had her wondering.

Kylene was about to introduce herself when Mush was shoved out of the way. She was then face to face with Kid Blink. "You already know me, I know." He looked down, clearly ashamed of himself. "Look, this may seem like this 'pology is fake and all, just cus yer fadder is Pulitzer, but I mean it. I am incredibly sorry for dah way I talked about ya earlier. I dunno how long ya were there to hear dah whole thing, but to tell ya dah truth, it ain't good. I'm sorry." He took a breath, waiting for her to say something.

Kylene was still dazed after Mush, and everything Kid Blink said came in different parts. She collected herself and looked at Kid Blink straight in the eye. "I accept your apology." She smiled and looked at Mush, who was smirking at Kid Blink.

Blink laughed. "Thank goodness. Those were dah words I wanted to hear. Call me Kid. Or Blink. Anything ya want, just as long as it's necessary, ya know? Nice to meet ya, Miss Pulitzer."

She laughed. Suddenly every little burden she was carrying was lifted. These newsboys made her feel happy.


End file.
